There’s never a good time for a car accident, but Wright City experienced an example of notably bad timing in May. Shortly after city aldermen voted to replace four police vehicles with new SUVs, they were faced with the question of replacing a fifth, uniquely outfitted vehicle that had been in an accident and is no longer fit for service.

Lt. Tom Canavan explained to aldermen on May 27 that the department had been looking into options to replace its K-9 vehicle, which has its interior customized for police dog deployment. A used 2018 highway patrol vehicle had been identified, with a price of about $19,000, Canavan said. Outfitting the vehicle with the specific equipment for a K-9 unit would additionally cost about $10,000.

Aldermen were unenthusiastic about the prospect of purchasing another vehicle. Ward 2 Alderman Ramiz Hakim noted that the previous vote to lease-purchase four new vehicles had already committed most of the city’s police car budget for the next few years. Rather than going thousands of dollars over budget, Hakim pushed for the department to instead repurpose one of its older vehicles.

Canavan replied that outfitting another patrol vehicle is possible, but that multiple vehicles in the fleet are showing signs of age and wear. Devoting one to the K-9 unit would mean the remaining patrol officers have one less backup option if vehicles break down, and the department doesn’t know when to expect delivery of its four new vehicles, Canavan added.

Mayor Dan Rowden suggested that the city is financially able to afford a vehicle purchase, with the help of a $12,000 insurance payout and $6,500 in previous community donations for the police department. Rowden said the priority should be to get the K-9 unit back in service quickly. 

“The longer you delay putting the K-9 unit actively back working, the harder it is for the dog to retain the training to be effective,” commented Rowden, who is a former police chief. “They lose those skills over time if they’re not constantly out working.”

Hakim pushed back against purchasing a used replacement car, saying the city had committed to buying new vehicles going forward in order to avoid the high maintenance cost of used vehicles. 

“We ought to make the best with what we have. I don’t believe that going out and spending more money and going over budget is the solution,” Hakim said. “I think re-outfitting one of the vehicles already in the fleet will get the vehicle on the road quicker and will save money overall.”

Police Chief Matt Eskew said he understood the desire to manage the city’s budget, and agreed that the department can make due with reallocating one vehicle to the K-9 unit, and having one less car overall.

“(We can) re-evaluate at a later date if that additional car is needed. ... I do believe that car will be needed,” Eskew predicted.

With the chief in agreement, aldermen voted 4-0 to have the department transfer the necessary equipment from its current K-9 vehicle to another patrol car. The work will be paid for with the insurance payout from the vehicle crash.